Philippians 4:4-7 The Message (MSG)
4-5 Celebrate God all day, every day. I mean, revel in him! Make it as
clear as you can to all you meet that you're on their side, working with
them and not against them. Help them see that the Master is about to
arrive. He could show up any minute!
6-7 Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and
praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.
Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together
for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when
Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.
Advent Blessings from Salem Staff –
As Salem leaders met for prayer, encouragement, and planning this morning
we were particularly touched by Eugene Peterson's Biblical version of
Philippians 4: 4-7 above.
How many of us actually revel in God and what God has done/is doing in the
world? Certainly that is what we should be about as we anticipate
celebrating the birth of Christ once again.
Whether the end of the world is near as some predict/worry or we are
simply marking the close of another calendar year, we should be ready.
The Master is about to arrive! The call is to bathe Christ's arrival in
prayer, trusting our own concerns to the Lord as we center on Christ
Jesus.
I like the image of Christ displacing worry at the center of our lives.
Headlines in the papers and magazines and on the internet are far from
calming as nations clash and threats of financial ruin and natural
disasters install fear in the calmest believers. So much is out of our
control.
Yet into the uncertainty and chaos comes a tiny babe – hope personified.
This hope above all displaces the hurt and fear and worry that seems to
close in around us. This hope alone brings a redeemer to displace and
disempower sin. This hope displaces the hunger in our lives for more and
more and gives what satisfies to fill the believer with good, lasting
truth.
Indeed Christ will soon be here. Let us open our hearts and homes wide
and revel in God's great gift to all humankind! Come, Lord Jesus, Come!
Carla Vanatta, Associate in Ministry
Salem Lutheran Church, Sycamore, IL
Salem Grace Notes Archive
Friday, December 14, 2012
Friday, October 12, 2012
Grace Notes, October 12, 2012
Friday, October 12th, is my birthday. 58 years of life. Have you ever
wondered why you were born in one particular country to one particular set
of parents? Or maybe you were adopted and your destiny changed from what
it might have been.
Over the years I've daydreamed about the possibilities. I could have been
born in Africa, Italy, Uruguay, Mexico, or Japan. My looks, language,
lifestyle, and customs might be completely different. Certainly I may not
enjoy the freedoms I have as an American, nor the vast resources, but I
might have had just as caring of a family.
With global communication so available today we gain insight into the
lives of brothers and sisters around the world. We see pictures in
magazines and videos on the internet and news stories on TV. We're not so
ignorant about each other's circumstances anymore.
I have heard it said that with knowledge comes responsibility. Life
Magazine covers are heralded for exposing both delightful and shameful
human conditions without saying a word.
Recently I was overwhelmed by a Channel 11 program on sex trafficking the
world over….children as young as eight duped or sold into prostitution.
And why? Two reasons: a) there is a market b) people make money from it.
As long as men or women seek sexual gratification by abusing children,
youth, and adults someone else is willing to make a living by it. This is
absolutely sickening to me.
I watched as a woman from India worked a health and rehab center for
prostitutes and their children. She was divorced because her husband felt
threatened by her work in the slums, but she could not turn her back on
these people. The host said though India is the most religious nation in
the world, it has the highest use of prostitutes. So sad – what good is
religion doing that abuses fellow human beings? Of course the issue goes
much deeper into the Caste system…those who are born to a prostitute will
learn the trade and repeat it because they are doomed to that track in
their life. Unless, as this woman teaches, the children are educated and
trained for other work and given the resources they need. There is hope,
though it may be much harder in India and other countries than in a place
like America.
Why do I speak of this in a devotional? Because I believe as people of
faith we have responsibilities. The hosts of this program were bringing
celebrities to visit various countries as well as America to learn of the
problem in hopes their popularity and power could help bring it to light
and stir up people to do something about it. We need to do something
about it.
What can we do about it? First, pray. Ask God to have mercy on those
being used by others senselessly and work in their cultures and habits to
bring healing and change. Ask God to change human hearts from darkness to
light. Look for programs that reach out and help and support them with
your interest and your dollars. Look for those you know who could be
caught in this cycle of abuse and help protect them. Learn about the
issues and tell others. Make it unacceptable. While you might feel your
small contribution may have little impact, remember a sink filling with
water will eventually overflow and gain attention.
And thank God for your life, for every birthday. Try to have made a
difference between one birthday and the next. Start anew to be a catalyst
for change in the world and a refuge for those around you. Be a blessing.
A true blessing. A lasting blessing. Then your life will be a concert
of praise for the One who created you and celebrated you the day you were
born.
Thanks be to God.
Carla Vanatta, Associate in Ministry
Salem Lutheran Church, Sycamore, IL
wondered why you were born in one particular country to one particular set
of parents? Or maybe you were adopted and your destiny changed from what
it might have been.
Over the years I've daydreamed about the possibilities. I could have been
born in Africa, Italy, Uruguay, Mexico, or Japan. My looks, language,
lifestyle, and customs might be completely different. Certainly I may not
enjoy the freedoms I have as an American, nor the vast resources, but I
might have had just as caring of a family.
With global communication so available today we gain insight into the
lives of brothers and sisters around the world. We see pictures in
magazines and videos on the internet and news stories on TV. We're not so
ignorant about each other's circumstances anymore.
I have heard it said that with knowledge comes responsibility. Life
Magazine covers are heralded for exposing both delightful and shameful
human conditions without saying a word.
Recently I was overwhelmed by a Channel 11 program on sex trafficking the
world over….children as young as eight duped or sold into prostitution.
And why? Two reasons: a) there is a market b) people make money from it.
As long as men or women seek sexual gratification by abusing children,
youth, and adults someone else is willing to make a living by it. This is
absolutely sickening to me.
I watched as a woman from India worked a health and rehab center for
prostitutes and their children. She was divorced because her husband felt
threatened by her work in the slums, but she could not turn her back on
these people. The host said though India is the most religious nation in
the world, it has the highest use of prostitutes. So sad – what good is
religion doing that abuses fellow human beings? Of course the issue goes
much deeper into the Caste system…those who are born to a prostitute will
learn the trade and repeat it because they are doomed to that track in
their life. Unless, as this woman teaches, the children are educated and
trained for other work and given the resources they need. There is hope,
though it may be much harder in India and other countries than in a place
like America.
Why do I speak of this in a devotional? Because I believe as people of
faith we have responsibilities. The hosts of this program were bringing
celebrities to visit various countries as well as America to learn of the
problem in hopes their popularity and power could help bring it to light
and stir up people to do something about it. We need to do something
about it.
What can we do about it? First, pray. Ask God to have mercy on those
being used by others senselessly and work in their cultures and habits to
bring healing and change. Ask God to change human hearts from darkness to
light. Look for programs that reach out and help and support them with
your interest and your dollars. Look for those you know who could be
caught in this cycle of abuse and help protect them. Learn about the
issues and tell others. Make it unacceptable. While you might feel your
small contribution may have little impact, remember a sink filling with
water will eventually overflow and gain attention.
And thank God for your life, for every birthday. Try to have made a
difference between one birthday and the next. Start anew to be a catalyst
for change in the world and a refuge for those around you. Be a blessing.
A true blessing. A lasting blessing. Then your life will be a concert
of praise for the One who created you and celebrated you the day you were
born.
Thanks be to God.
Carla Vanatta, Associate in Ministry
Salem Lutheran Church, Sycamore, IL
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Grace Notes, 8-14-2012
Today's Grace Notes may be a little more "in house" than usual as I
reflect on Salem after a year of interim leadership, awaiting news of a
potential pastoral candidate.
It's quite unlike me to be depressed, but as I went home yesterday I had
such a heavy heart. Working on fall programming and anticipating the
liturgical season ahead felt overwhelming. There is often a lack of
momentum in an interim time; I have been through it many times at Salem as
pastoral leadership changed. It doesn't seem to matter how good or
accepted the interim pastor is, how many marvelous, faithful volunteers
and leaders we have, or how hard staff members are working - many families
and individuals just take a break, so to speak, until they see who will
come next. Volunteers lag for vital ministries of Sunday School,
Confirmation, and Worship leadership. Offerings decrease. Some folks
have moved away and new ones have not yet engaged. It is uncertain who we
will have to work with in the choirs and puppets or who will come for
Sunday School and Confirmation. Personally I am feeling it especially
right now with the loss of our diaconal minister as well. Judy was an
unending source of hope and energy and love. When she was around you knew
something was going to happen….she would make it happen. I feel alone,
without a team to work with. I am feeling very human and vulnerable.
Can you even begin to imagine how the Israelites felt after 40 years of
this?!? Wandering and wandering with the hope of a new land, a new life
of richness and abundance promised but not in sight….Moses exhausted from
the constant complaining and bickering, holding desperately to the
promises of God at a time when no one could see them.
Or can you imagine a farmer in drought, hope of his crop drying like
toast, livestock fading in the heat with no water ponds to cool or drink.
Or can you see the shoulders of one whose job just dried up, whose son has
cancer, whose daughter has turned to drugs?
Heaven help us if we choose to look for sorrow, for it will come crashing
in like a tsunami to overwhelm us!! I can remember a dear soul who
served on Salem prayer chain years ago.
She asked me not to pass on a prayer request to her if the person had
cancer; she just couldn't stand it anymore and felt like it was
everywhere, ready to pounce and devour.
I was also overwhelmed yesterday reading the newspaper. Political
clashes, mounting debt, earthquakes, cut programs - uncertainties and
fears everywhere! How Lord, I prayed, will we be able to sustain our food
pantry ministry in a time when it will be needed more than ever!?
Then my quiet, ever-hopeful teammate Sue told me she had great news this
morning… word of a new partnership between the Northern Illinois Food Bank
and Jewel. Three times a week we will be able to pick up meat, canned
goods, fresh vegetables, pastries, and seasonal items just at their last
date to fill our freezer, refrigerator, and pantry shelves! Manna and
Quail from heaven just needing to be picked up!!!
Psalm 43:5 New King James Version, reads 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise
Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.
Here it is in the Contemporary English Version : 5 Why am I discouraged?
Why am I restless? I trust you! And I will praise you again because you
help me, and you are my God.
And one more time in the Message version: 5 Why are you down in the
dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God –
soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He's my God.
How are you feeling? Are you discouraged, overwhelmed, no hope of
deliverance in sight? There are so many arenas for despair in our lives
besides the uncertainty of leadership for Salem congregation.
If we fix our eyes on anything but the Lord, we wallow in a sea of darkness.
God has great things in store for you, for me, and for the people and
mission of Salem. We will receive a new leader and new staff who will
have the gifts we need to move us ahead. Our confidence will be rebuilt
and the momentum will once again build. God will do it with our energy
and our help and our hope and His power.
Remember the Biblical account of Moses' arm in battle? As long as he held
a rod outstretched, the Israelites succeeded; as he tired and weakened and
lowered the rod, they were overcome. TOGETHER THEY HELD UP MOSES' ARM TO
CLAIM GOD'S POWER. Now none of us are Moses but we are all the people of
God, and together we can move ahead in faith and love and might to be the
people of God we are called to be and do what needs to be done. So let us
lift up our dragging spirits and trust that good things are just over the
horizon. Let us believe in the call to be Christ to the world close at
hand and far away. Let us be overflowing vessels of love and hope, faith
and service so those who soon come alongside us will be inspired by our
faithfulness and perseverance and hope.
Soon we'll be praising again. Soon there will be smiles on our faces. We
are not alone; the very God who created the universe is our help and
power. Thanks be to God.
Carla Vanatta, Associate in Ministry
Salem Lutheran Church, Sycamore, IL
reflect on Salem after a year of interim leadership, awaiting news of a
potential pastoral candidate.
It's quite unlike me to be depressed, but as I went home yesterday I had
such a heavy heart. Working on fall programming and anticipating the
liturgical season ahead felt overwhelming. There is often a lack of
momentum in an interim time; I have been through it many times at Salem as
pastoral leadership changed. It doesn't seem to matter how good or
accepted the interim pastor is, how many marvelous, faithful volunteers
and leaders we have, or how hard staff members are working - many families
and individuals just take a break, so to speak, until they see who will
come next. Volunteers lag for vital ministries of Sunday School,
Confirmation, and Worship leadership. Offerings decrease. Some folks
have moved away and new ones have not yet engaged. It is uncertain who we
will have to work with in the choirs and puppets or who will come for
Sunday School and Confirmation. Personally I am feeling it especially
right now with the loss of our diaconal minister as well. Judy was an
unending source of hope and energy and love. When she was around you knew
something was going to happen….she would make it happen. I feel alone,
without a team to work with. I am feeling very human and vulnerable.
Can you even begin to imagine how the Israelites felt after 40 years of
this?!? Wandering and wandering with the hope of a new land, a new life
of richness and abundance promised but not in sight….Moses exhausted from
the constant complaining and bickering, holding desperately to the
promises of God at a time when no one could see them.
Or can you imagine a farmer in drought, hope of his crop drying like
toast, livestock fading in the heat with no water ponds to cool or drink.
Or can you see the shoulders of one whose job just dried up, whose son has
cancer, whose daughter has turned to drugs?
Heaven help us if we choose to look for sorrow, for it will come crashing
in like a tsunami to overwhelm us!! I can remember a dear soul who
served on Salem prayer chain years ago.
She asked me not to pass on a prayer request to her if the person had
cancer; she just couldn't stand it anymore and felt like it was
everywhere, ready to pounce and devour.
I was also overwhelmed yesterday reading the newspaper. Political
clashes, mounting debt, earthquakes, cut programs - uncertainties and
fears everywhere! How Lord, I prayed, will we be able to sustain our food
pantry ministry in a time when it will be needed more than ever!?
Then my quiet, ever-hopeful teammate Sue told me she had great news this
morning… word of a new partnership between the Northern Illinois Food Bank
and Jewel. Three times a week we will be able to pick up meat, canned
goods, fresh vegetables, pastries, and seasonal items just at their last
date to fill our freezer, refrigerator, and pantry shelves! Manna and
Quail from heaven just needing to be picked up!!!
Psalm 43:5 New King James Version, reads 5 Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; For I shall yet praise
Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.
Here it is in the Contemporary English Version : 5 Why am I discouraged?
Why am I restless? I trust you! And I will praise you again because you
help me, and you are my God.
And one more time in the Message version: 5 Why are you down in the
dumps, dear soul? Why are you crying the blues? Fix my eyes on God –
soon I'll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He's my God.
How are you feeling? Are you discouraged, overwhelmed, no hope of
deliverance in sight? There are so many arenas for despair in our lives
besides the uncertainty of leadership for Salem congregation.
If we fix our eyes on anything but the Lord, we wallow in a sea of darkness.
God has great things in store for you, for me, and for the people and
mission of Salem. We will receive a new leader and new staff who will
have the gifts we need to move us ahead. Our confidence will be rebuilt
and the momentum will once again build. God will do it with our energy
and our help and our hope and His power.
Remember the Biblical account of Moses' arm in battle? As long as he held
a rod outstretched, the Israelites succeeded; as he tired and weakened and
lowered the rod, they were overcome. TOGETHER THEY HELD UP MOSES' ARM TO
CLAIM GOD'S POWER. Now none of us are Moses but we are all the people of
God, and together we can move ahead in faith and love and might to be the
people of God we are called to be and do what needs to be done. So let us
lift up our dragging spirits and trust that good things are just over the
horizon. Let us believe in the call to be Christ to the world close at
hand and far away. Let us be overflowing vessels of love and hope, faith
and service so those who soon come alongside us will be inspired by our
faithfulness and perseverance and hope.
Soon we'll be praising again. Soon there will be smiles on our faces. We
are not alone; the very God who created the universe is our help and
power. Thanks be to God.
Carla Vanatta, Associate in Ministry
Salem Lutheran Church, Sycamore, IL
Monday, June 25, 2012
Grace Notes June 25 ... Final by Judy
Do you remember when you or your wife was pregnant for the first time?
How excited and scared and ignorant and innocent you were? Mainly,
though, you were amazed and full of wonder as that belly grew! And that
joy, that exaltation when that glorious baby was actually born! You had
known it by touch but not by sight for a lo-o-ong time. And here was your
introduction face-to-face. How our hearts swelled! We thought we could
never ever love anybody again as much as we instantly do this infant.
And then we had a second child!
We learned immediately that our hearts have far greater capacity for
loving than we had dreamed. And so on. Apparently God made us for
loving.
Well, that's how it has been for me at Salem. Over the five years I have
gotten to be here, I kept getting to know more and more people, young,
old, men, women, children and each one had a story. SO interesting.
Sometimes I listened in such sadness, sometimes in sorrow, sometimes in
anger, sometimes laughter, always blessed to hear all these children of
God's.
I learned that ministry is simply loving. Loving people who need it,
loving those who say they don't, that they're fine. Loving those we see
and those we don't, loving those we know and those we don't. Again,
apparently God made us for loving. Downstairs Salem serves the hungry
with food and welcome. Upstairs Salem serves its members and strangers
looking for a church home. Salem is hospitable. It is also generous, as
it serves children affected by malaria, feeds children around the world
with manna packs. People at Salem really don't like to hear that children
are hungry. Salem does many acts of loving, whether the acts are called
that or not. The building and lawns reflect the loving care people have
for it. And on and on. The Sunday School is full of activity and
laughter on Sunday mornings, as is the Confirmation Study on Wednesday
evenings. And Salem hosts two Scout troops, an FHA group, an AA meeting,
and various recitals and weddings and funerals. This is no museum! There
is dust and wear and tear due to use, which is exactly what God wants
going on!
Are you getting the idea that I feel so deeply, profoundly blessed here?
It is very difficult to leave. But present or not, I will carry you all
in my heart, which I learned is indeed big enough to love you all, thanks
be to God.
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you
and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and
grant you His peace. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit, amen.
Judy Bergeson
Diaconal Minister
How excited and scared and ignorant and innocent you were? Mainly,
though, you were amazed and full of wonder as that belly grew! And that
joy, that exaltation when that glorious baby was actually born! You had
known it by touch but not by sight for a lo-o-ong time. And here was your
introduction face-to-face. How our hearts swelled! We thought we could
never ever love anybody again as much as we instantly do this infant.
And then we had a second child!
We learned immediately that our hearts have far greater capacity for
loving than we had dreamed. And so on. Apparently God made us for
loving.
Well, that's how it has been for me at Salem. Over the five years I have
gotten to be here, I kept getting to know more and more people, young,
old, men, women, children and each one had a story. SO interesting.
Sometimes I listened in such sadness, sometimes in sorrow, sometimes in
anger, sometimes laughter, always blessed to hear all these children of
God's.
I learned that ministry is simply loving. Loving people who need it,
loving those who say they don't, that they're fine. Loving those we see
and those we don't, loving those we know and those we don't. Again,
apparently God made us for loving. Downstairs Salem serves the hungry
with food and welcome. Upstairs Salem serves its members and strangers
looking for a church home. Salem is hospitable. It is also generous, as
it serves children affected by malaria, feeds children around the world
with manna packs. People at Salem really don't like to hear that children
are hungry. Salem does many acts of loving, whether the acts are called
that or not. The building and lawns reflect the loving care people have
for it. And on and on. The Sunday School is full of activity and
laughter on Sunday mornings, as is the Confirmation Study on Wednesday
evenings. And Salem hosts two Scout troops, an FHA group, an AA meeting,
and various recitals and weddings and funerals. This is no museum! There
is dust and wear and tear due to use, which is exactly what God wants
going on!
Are you getting the idea that I feel so deeply, profoundly blessed here?
It is very difficult to leave. But present or not, I will carry you all
in my heart, which I learned is indeed big enough to love you all, thanks
be to God.
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine upon you
and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and
grant you His peace. In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy
Spirit, amen.
Judy Bergeson
Diaconal Minister
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
June 12, 2012 gracenotes
Today I give thanks to God for my very best friend, my husband Ron. Not
that I don't thank the Lord often for him, but today is a special day –
our 36th wedding anniversary (June 12th). Whether you find yourself
single, widowed, divorced, or married, the Lord has given you
relationships that need care to grow and flourish. I share some advice
that was given to us at our wedding and things we have learned along the
way.
• Accept each other as you are. Planning to change someone usually has
disastrous results. Basic personalities are pretty well set early on.
• Love is a decision, not a feeling.
• Sometimes one gives 100%, not just 50-50.
• Be flexible; things and people change and it is a dance and gift to adapt.
• Live Ephesians 4: 26-27, not letting the sun go down while you are angry.
Talk it out or set a time to talk more about it.
• Lift up your partner in front of other people. Praise and build them up
instead of putting them down.
• Home should be a shelter and haven for all who live there, a safe place
to return to at the end of the day and share life's joys and burdens.
• Admit to your mistakes and ask forgiveness.
• Support each other's interests and abilities and encourage each other to
grow. Try not to be jealous of one another.
• Know when you are in trouble and get help.
• Make time together a priority.
• Try not to let your children come between you, even if you disagree on
how to handle them.
• Think before you speak and consider how what you say will sound to the
other person.
• Avoid power plays or struggles.
• Thank the Lord daily and ask how you can be a better partner, friend, or
parent.
Actually the list could go on and on, couldn't it? For the longer we
live, we continue to learn how to be in relationship with others.
Sometimes we learn by mistakes, sometimes we learn by observing others,
sometimes we learn by letting go of our control and listening. And there
are times when we have to say "no" if the way we are being treated is
unacceptable, for that leads to a broken relationship and that deep hurt
is not what God has in mind for any of us.
Each marriage or friendship will look different because the people
involved are unique, but there are ways of respecting and treating each
other well that are the foundation of all relationships.
Take time today to consider the gift God has given you in relationships,
and ask how you can be a better steward, or caretaker of them.
Blessings,
Carla Vanatta, Associate in Ministry
Salem Lutheran Church, Sycamore, IL
Salem Reminders:
Enjoy Salem Puppet Team's Salute to Fathers this Sunday, 8:00 & 10:30 and
take time to honor your own, forgiving them for their faults and failures.
A new member dinner is offered at 6 p.m. Monday, June 18th in Fellowship
Hall for those interested in exploring a faith connection with Salem.
A summer book study on "The Shack" continues Thursday evenings at 5 p.m.
in Fellowship Hall. Bring a sack supper and enjoy the discussion led by
Pastor Rob.
that I don't thank the Lord often for him, but today is a special day –
our 36th wedding anniversary (June 12th). Whether you find yourself
single, widowed, divorced, or married, the Lord has given you
relationships that need care to grow and flourish. I share some advice
that was given to us at our wedding and things we have learned along the
way.
• Accept each other as you are. Planning to change someone usually has
disastrous results. Basic personalities are pretty well set early on.
• Love is a decision, not a feeling.
• Sometimes one gives 100%, not just 50-50.
• Be flexible; things and people change and it is a dance and gift to adapt.
• Live Ephesians 4: 26-27, not letting the sun go down while you are angry.
Talk it out or set a time to talk more about it.
• Lift up your partner in front of other people. Praise and build them up
instead of putting them down.
• Home should be a shelter and haven for all who live there, a safe place
to return to at the end of the day and share life's joys and burdens.
• Admit to your mistakes and ask forgiveness.
• Support each other's interests and abilities and encourage each other to
grow. Try not to be jealous of one another.
• Know when you are in trouble and get help.
• Make time together a priority.
• Try not to let your children come between you, even if you disagree on
how to handle them.
• Think before you speak and consider how what you say will sound to the
other person.
• Avoid power plays or struggles.
• Thank the Lord daily and ask how you can be a better partner, friend, or
parent.
Actually the list could go on and on, couldn't it? For the longer we
live, we continue to learn how to be in relationship with others.
Sometimes we learn by mistakes, sometimes we learn by observing others,
sometimes we learn by letting go of our control and listening. And there
are times when we have to say "no" if the way we are being treated is
unacceptable, for that leads to a broken relationship and that deep hurt
is not what God has in mind for any of us.
Each marriage or friendship will look different because the people
involved are unique, but there are ways of respecting and treating each
other well that are the foundation of all relationships.
Take time today to consider the gift God has given you in relationships,
and ask how you can be a better steward, or caretaker of them.
Blessings,
Carla Vanatta, Associate in Ministry
Salem Lutheran Church, Sycamore, IL
Salem Reminders:
Enjoy Salem Puppet Team's Salute to Fathers this Sunday, 8:00 & 10:30 and
take time to honor your own, forgiving them for their faults and failures.
A new member dinner is offered at 6 p.m. Monday, June 18th in Fellowship
Hall for those interested in exploring a faith connection with Salem.
A summer book study on "The Shack" continues Thursday evenings at 5 p.m.
in Fellowship Hall. Bring a sack supper and enjoy the discussion led by
Pastor Rob.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Grace Notes, May 29
Grace Notes May 29, 2012
"I love being here." That phrase, nicely painted on a decorative sign, has
found its way from a recent garage sale to its new home at our house.
Deciding where to hang it was a challenge. There are so many places it
would fit. Our camping trailer…we love being there. Our back yard…we've
been enjoying our morning tea and quiet time outdoors this week. Where
would you choose to hang a sign saying "I love being here?" We finally
placed it on our porch, where we start and finish most of our days,
weather allowing.
"I love being here." Any place can be "here." In fact, every place is
"here." At this very moment you are somewhere…that somewhere is "here" for
you right now. "Here" may be your home or a favorite get-away spot. Or
"here" might be a place along the highway where you spend a few minutes
waiting for a construction zone. I remember such a stop on our trip to
Holden Village a few years ago. As we followed I-90 around a mountain
curve we came to a stop. It turned into a long wait as heavy machinery was
being repositioned and all traffic had to stand still. It was many miles
from any towns. But being forced to be there, we had time to begin to see
the beauty of the place. A valley to the left…the mountain to our right…a
few trees managing to hang on to the slope. If not for that road work, we
never would have noticed. But this place was just as beautiful and
God-created as any other. For the moment, I actually could "love being
there."
God made the world and everything in it. And it is wonderful. Now, to be
sure, human nature and sin have caused some situations that are, well,
less than loveable. But God is with us even in those places. Even if the
only pleasant thing you can find about a place is how much it makes you
appreciate another one. If we are open to his gift, God will give peace
and contentment even there. Carla and I marvel at how my Mom has learned
peace and contentment now that she lives at a care center. She wouldn't
have chosen to need that care, but when it has become necessary she is
accepting it. Usually smiling, she doesn't complain and seems to "love
being here."
The sign has found a home, at least for the present, above the doorway
leading from our porch get-away back into the main house. It certainly
speaks my special appreciation for that specific place. Perhaps I can also
carry its message with me as I leave that place each day, as a reminder to
thank God and appreciate every "here" that I will be in today.
Ron Vanatta
This Sunday Salem graduates will be blessed and honored at the 9:15 coffee
time and during the 10:30 worship service.
Sign up for the Thursday evening study group each week in June. Pastor Rob
will lead a discussion of the book "The Shack." Time is 5 to 6:30. Place
is fellowship hall. Bring your own supper. We'll eat at 5, then start the
study at 5:30.
Market Day sales will benefit Salem Food Pantry in June, July and August.
Call or visit Salem's office to get an order sheet.
"I love being here." That phrase, nicely painted on a decorative sign, has
found its way from a recent garage sale to its new home at our house.
Deciding where to hang it was a challenge. There are so many places it
would fit. Our camping trailer…we love being there. Our back yard…we've
been enjoying our morning tea and quiet time outdoors this week. Where
would you choose to hang a sign saying "I love being here?" We finally
placed it on our porch, where we start and finish most of our days,
weather allowing.
"I love being here." Any place can be "here." In fact, every place is
"here." At this very moment you are somewhere…that somewhere is "here" for
you right now. "Here" may be your home or a favorite get-away spot. Or
"here" might be a place along the highway where you spend a few minutes
waiting for a construction zone. I remember such a stop on our trip to
Holden Village a few years ago. As we followed I-90 around a mountain
curve we came to a stop. It turned into a long wait as heavy machinery was
being repositioned and all traffic had to stand still. It was many miles
from any towns. But being forced to be there, we had time to begin to see
the beauty of the place. A valley to the left…the mountain to our right…a
few trees managing to hang on to the slope. If not for that road work, we
never would have noticed. But this place was just as beautiful and
God-created as any other. For the moment, I actually could "love being
there."
God made the world and everything in it. And it is wonderful. Now, to be
sure, human nature and sin have caused some situations that are, well,
less than loveable. But God is with us even in those places. Even if the
only pleasant thing you can find about a place is how much it makes you
appreciate another one. If we are open to his gift, God will give peace
and contentment even there. Carla and I marvel at how my Mom has learned
peace and contentment now that she lives at a care center. She wouldn't
have chosen to need that care, but when it has become necessary she is
accepting it. Usually smiling, she doesn't complain and seems to "love
being here."
The sign has found a home, at least for the present, above the doorway
leading from our porch get-away back into the main house. It certainly
speaks my special appreciation for that specific place. Perhaps I can also
carry its message with me as I leave that place each day, as a reminder to
thank God and appreciate every "here" that I will be in today.
Ron Vanatta
This Sunday Salem graduates will be blessed and honored at the 9:15 coffee
time and during the 10:30 worship service.
Sign up for the Thursday evening study group each week in June. Pastor Rob
will lead a discussion of the book "The Shack." Time is 5 to 6:30. Place
is fellowship hall. Bring your own supper. We'll eat at 5, then start the
study at 5:30.
Market Day sales will benefit Salem Food Pantry in June, July and August.
Call or visit Salem's office to get an order sheet.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Grace Notes May 17
Grace notes for 5/14-19/12
Thursday, May 17th was Ascension Thursday. I picture Our Lord's Ascension
as occurring on a bright and Sunny day like today. Jesus spoke a goodbye
and a blessing to people who had staked their life on him. He had been
lost to them in his death. Now, miraculously, he was alive again and
appearing in their midst. But wait, he was leaving again. There was
something different this time. Before he left he told the disciples to
expect the gift from the Father that he had spoken to them about. They
would be enabled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Don't wander off, he
said, but stay in Jerusalem and wait. Not many days from now the Holy
Spirit will come upon you and you will be my witnesses.
The Easter season is coming to a close. In not many days we will
celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit's in-filling of the disciples and
the season after Pentecost will begin. This "green season" is so named
because following the day of Pentecost, the disciples did as Jesus said,
they became witnesses to his (God-in-flesh) presence with them. As they
did so, they were to experience all manner of growth. Again, the Lord
would be found true to his word as the Spirit of God empowered them to
share the good news and healing that Jesus brings.
As I drove to Salem this morning, I saw the new shoots and blades of green
that grew up in the fields. They will bear fruit and in so doing, are
witnesses to the Creator God who has made them. They will ripen and bring
forth fruit for the Lord and for his children throughout the growing
season.
On Ascension Thursday I am reminded that the Lord is present with us
precisely because he was taken from the sight of his first disciples. He
is alive and continues to call us to new growth and fruit bearing witness.
On Ascension Thursday I am reminded that the Lord is present in us,
sending us to "Live Christ's Love as the people of Salem and as
individuals called to see all that we do, wherever we do it as the place
where Jesus is present. On Ascension Thursday I am reminded that the Lord
is present to be our strength our hope and our way, every moment, every
day.
On Ascension Thursday I am reminded that the Lord is present and can be
seen in the beauty of renewing growth of the creation. Take the time to
hear and see Jesus alive in the beauty and power of life. Take the time
to let his presence fill you with peace.
On Ascension Thursday I am reminded that the Lord is present to us because
he said goodbye to the people, times and places of Jesus' earthly life.
On Ascension Thursday I am reminded that the Lord is present so that we
might live in the "perpetual HELLO" of his coming to us through the
Spirit. May you be open to the empowering enlivening and healing of Jesus
the Christ. We live because he lives. We live and Jesus tells to
recognize him with us and turn our hearts to making him known to others
that are being called to find their Spiritual Home in Him.
In thanksgiving for you ever-loving life Lord, we praise you and ask that
by your power we see the empowering of your life to enable us to do your
will.
AMEN
Pr. Rob
Thursday, May 17th was Ascension Thursday. I picture Our Lord's Ascension
as occurring on a bright and Sunny day like today. Jesus spoke a goodbye
and a blessing to people who had staked their life on him. He had been
lost to them in his death. Now, miraculously, he was alive again and
appearing in their midst. But wait, he was leaving again. There was
something different this time. Before he left he told the disciples to
expect the gift from the Father that he had spoken to them about. They
would be enabled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Don't wander off, he
said, but stay in Jerusalem and wait. Not many days from now the Holy
Spirit will come upon you and you will be my witnesses.
The Easter season is coming to a close. In not many days we will
celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit's in-filling of the disciples and
the season after Pentecost will begin. This "green season" is so named
because following the day of Pentecost, the disciples did as Jesus said,
they became witnesses to his (God-in-flesh) presence with them. As they
did so, they were to experience all manner of growth. Again, the Lord
would be found true to his word as the Spirit of God empowered them to
share the good news and healing that Jesus brings.
As I drove to Salem this morning, I saw the new shoots and blades of green
that grew up in the fields. They will bear fruit and in so doing, are
witnesses to the Creator God who has made them. They will ripen and bring
forth fruit for the Lord and for his children throughout the growing
season.
On Ascension Thursday I am reminded that the Lord is present with us
precisely because he was taken from the sight of his first disciples. He
is alive and continues to call us to new growth and fruit bearing witness.
On Ascension Thursday I am reminded that the Lord is present in us,
sending us to "Live Christ's Love as the people of Salem and as
individuals called to see all that we do, wherever we do it as the place
where Jesus is present. On Ascension Thursday I am reminded that the Lord
is present to be our strength our hope and our way, every moment, every
day.
On Ascension Thursday I am reminded that the Lord is present and can be
seen in the beauty of renewing growth of the creation. Take the time to
hear and see Jesus alive in the beauty and power of life. Take the time
to let his presence fill you with peace.
On Ascension Thursday I am reminded that the Lord is present to us because
he said goodbye to the people, times and places of Jesus' earthly life.
On Ascension Thursday I am reminded that the Lord is present so that we
might live in the "perpetual HELLO" of his coming to us through the
Spirit. May you be open to the empowering enlivening and healing of Jesus
the Christ. We live because he lives. We live and Jesus tells to
recognize him with us and turn our hearts to making him known to others
that are being called to find their Spiritual Home in Him.
In thanksgiving for you ever-loving life Lord, we praise you and ask that
by your power we see the empowering of your life to enable us to do your
will.
AMEN
Pr. Rob
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